Watching him go into a stone-like silence abruptly sparked an ugly blaze within Tiffany. Suddenly, she despised the man standing in front of her. She despised him so much that it harkened back to the last time they had an altercation that stung enough to make her consider splitting.It was not like she wanted Jackson to surrender to her demands or go through hell to make her happy or even completely absolve the faults Atticus had made as a deadbeat dad. All she wanted Jackson to do was to put at least an ounce of forbearance; to summon a little bit more grit — just enough that when he was in the same room as his father, no one had to feel terrible.Among the four of them, Tiffany was the outsider, the tack-on. That alone was enough ground for trepidation that could easily escalate into crippling anxiety. The last thing she wanted was to be stuck in the middle of a cold war while already embroiled in discomfort. It mortified her. It made her want to quit and never bother with it again.
Jackson froze. He lowered his eyes as his emotions returned to whence they came. “I’ll call my mom and apologize to her too… right in front of you. Fine?”Tiffany suddenly found Jackson inscrutable. Worried that he was only trying to make her happy by making things even harder for himself, she demurred, “Look, I didn’t say I want that. But… I guess… I guess I agree that you should give your mom a call.”Without another word, Jackson dialed Summer’s number and connected his phone to the car speaker through Bluetooth connection. When the call was through, it was loud enough for Tiffany to hear every word Summer enunciated.“Jackson? Is that you?”“I’m sorry for losing my cool just now, Mom. I won’t do it again.”“Oh. Well, it’s alright. I understand. You were acting out against your father’s display of passion, weren’t you? But surely you’re aware that art is… well, art is your father’s lifelong devotion; he can’t help but act the way he did… Listen, I’m not asking you to treat him like
Summer took a seat on the couch as she remarked, “What’s the rush? It’s not like anyone’s gonna deduct your wage over it or something. Now, about last night… Thank you. I have no doubt that you did something to convince Jackson to apologize to me over the phone. It’s hard for him, I know. I don’t blame him.”As Tiffany had only just woken up, she was not precisely at her most sober. “Huh?… I mean, just doing my job! Yeeeeap.”Suddenly, Summer’s expression changed before pulling out a bra from underneath her. “What the…?”Tiffany froze. If she remembered correctly, her bra should not have been the only thing tucked inside the couch cushions — there should have been something else that was way, way more embarrassing! God, last night, they took such a direct dive into their passion that neither of them had the thought of tidying things up!Her thoughts returned to the present, and she lurched forward, snatching the bra from Summer’s hand. “Oh, I’m so, so sorry about this! Um, this place c
Jackson had imagined their eventual confrontation to be a severe one; however, the sight of jealousy pouring out of her mien was somehow a pretty enjoyable sight. “Well, what do you think?”“What do I think?” Tiffany was on the verge of an eruption. “‘What do I think?’ I’ve been fuming at the idea for the entire evening, Buckaroo, and here you want me to think about it even more? I ain’t playing this game… You tell me yourself!”Jackson could not stop himself from laughing. “Oh, Lord, what did that brain of yours cook up, huh? Alright, I admit, I used to swing around a lot, but! My escapade never involved people of my inner circles. Perhaps you should ask Aye about this; she would tell you that I only have relationships with women outside our company. Everyone knows that I’ve never slept with any of the female employees,” he explained. “Sure, Miss Lane is bodacious, and that body is pretty damned sexy, but too bad! She is my secretary, which according to my rul — ”“Too f**king bad?” H
Jackson appeared by the steps leading to the Lanes’ residence the next morning while it was bright out. Behind him, a striking procession of cars lined up in a neat row outside the entrance to the complex.Tiffany had only (reluctantly) rolled out of bed after a call from her beau before dragging herself to wash up. Lillian, in contrast, was much more excited for the event. She was already all dolled up, so she lent her daughter a hand with the latter’s make-up.“Uh, youngsters nowadays! I told you to head to bed early last night, but did you listen? Now look at you — your eyelids are practically glued close!” she chastised. “Jackson’s waiting for you downstairs, young lady. Just look at all those cars lining up outside — pooh! Now that’s the Wests for you. But if all of this is for a mere engagement ceremony, then how grand would the wedding itself be?”Tiffany cracked yet another jaw-breaking yawn in front of the dresser. “Can’t we do this at, uh, a later time or something, Mom? As l
Tiffany was just as confused about her sudden anxiety. Her family’s affluent past had acclimated her to grand events like these, and she was never one to shy away from social interactions. However, somehow over time, the girl had begun to shrink from people-centric events.Nevertheless, Jackson and Tiffany were the stars of the show today. She could not possibly weasel her way out of attention despite herself. “I-I don’t know why. Aww… Can’t Ari be any faster? I’ll feel soooo much better if she’s around,” Tiffany murmured. “Without her, I feel so, well, vulnerable…”Jackson patted the back of Tiffany’s hand reassuringly. “God, you can’t live without Arianne, can you?” he teased. “Now, now. Have no fear, for I’m right here with you, right? In fact, let’s bring you to the lounge for a breather and a little surprise that I have in store for you.”Tiffany was secretly unexcited for whatever Jackson was gearing up to do. How could any “surprise” be of any help to her multiplying anxiety?Th
With that, Arianne spun on her heels, palpably sulking.Suddenly, Mark reached out and hurriedly tugged on her wrist. “Granny was kidding. Please, don’t pay her words any mind,” he explained. “Listen, how about you come home to the Tremont Estate with me after this party’s over? It’s been a while since you’ve come back to the Capital — spending time with your grandmother is something that’s long overdue between you two. Besides, Mary and Henry both expressed wishes to see you home.”Arianne swung her hand away from his grip in a fit of discomfort. “We’ll see, okay?” she fumbled an answer, her eyes avoiding him. “I’m going to accompany Tiffie. She’s nervous.”Mark let her go in silence. He knew how much Tiffany meant to his wife.Summer and Atticus had both left by the time she returned to the lounge. Tanya, upon seeing her return, suddenly piped up, “Um, Ari? I get this feeling that we’re very different from everyone else out there… Everyone’s wearing suits and tux and gowns and stuff,
Arianne nodded curtly before springing toward the escalator to the floor below.Firm confirmations from hotel security that no elderly man had ever left the building was relieving news. After giving the security some instructions, she took the stairs and scoured floor by floor.A few floors later, she was panting hard.Mark had ordered his guards to look as well, but they were hamstrung by the need to remain discreet to avoid disrupting the ceremony.The clock was going to strike twelve soon. A few more minutes, and Tiffany, the star of the day, would have to go through the rites with Jackson, yet Old Anderson was still nowhere to be found. At this critical moment, Arianne received a call from Eric, who promptly asked, “Didn’t Tanya follow you to the Capital today? And didn’t she bring her grandfather with her?”“How did you know?” Arianne questioned. “Are you booking tables for the wedding or what? Hold on, where are you, exactly?”Eric sounded a little upset. “Does she have any idea